Surface Book 2 vs Surface Book

The new version of Microsoft Surface Book 2 is finally out now. It now comes in 2 sizes, the same old 13.5-inch, and a new 15-inch. The overall look of the new Surface Book 2 is almost the same as the original Surface Book, however, many things have changed inside.

The new Surface Book 2 now has a better hinge design reducing screen wobbling while you work on the lap and when you interact with the screen. One more interesting change is the Mini DisplayPort replacement with a USB Type-C 3.1 Gen-1 (no Thunderbolt 3 supported) for Video Out and Charging.

If you are in the market looking for a great laptop and struggling in choosing between a cheaper original Surface Book and the new Surface Book 2, here we have detailed specs comparison between both devices for you.

Table of contents

  1. Surface Book 2 vs Surface Book – Overall Technical Specs Comparison
  2. Surface Book 2 vs Surface Book – Intel Core i5 Processors Comparison
  3. Surface Book 2 vs Surface Book – Intel Core i7 Processors Comparison
  4. Surface Book 2 vs Surface Book – Integrated Graphics Comparison
  5. Surface Book 2 vs Surface Book – Discrete Graphics Comparison

1Surface Book 2 vs Surface Book – Overall Technical Specs Comparison

Surface Book image

Surface Book

See at Amazon Compare
Surface Book 2 image

Surface Book 2

See at Amazon Compare
Key Features
What's new
  • Performance Info
    • Up to 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6600U (2-Core, up to 3.40Ghz w/Turbo Boost)
    • Up to NVIDIA® GeForce® GPU (1GB GDDR5)
    • Up to 1TB SSD
    • Up to 16GB (1866Mhz LPDDR3 RAM)
    • Up to 12 hours battery life (69Wh)
  • The most powerful Microsoft's Laptop
    • Surface Book is a high-performance laptop with exceptional power and unprecedented versatility as a laptop, powerful tablet,  detachable touchscreen, and a portable studio.
  • Best-in-class screen
    • 13.5-inch PixelSense™ display with 6 million pixels (3000x2000), 1700:1 contrast ratio, and 100% sRGB color gamut.
    • It supports 10-point multitouch and Surface Pen with 1,024 pressure sensitivity (magnet attached to the side of the screen).
  • More Features
    • Magnet charging connector, Full-size USB 3.0 port, Bluetooth 4.0, 5MP front and 8MP rear camera.
  • Performance Info
    • Up to 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8650U (4-Core, up to 4.20Ghz w/Turbo Boost)
    • Up to NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060 (6GB GDDR5)
    • Up to 1TB SSD
    • Up to 16GB (1866Mhz LPDDR3 RAM)
    • Up to 17 hours of battery life
  • New Size Now available in 15-inch with the same beautiful PixelSense display.
  • Better Performance Surface Book 2 has up to 5 times more graphics performance than the original Surface Book.
  • Longer Battery Life Lasts up to 17 hours.
  • USB-C Allows you to charge, transfer data, and video out.
  • More Features
    • Updated hinge design for reducing screen wobbling.
    • Supports the latest Surface Pen with 4096 levels of pressure.
    • Supports Surface Dial on-screen interaction.
    • Xbox Wireless built-in (15-inch only).
What's missing
  • MiniDisplay port replaced with a USB-C port
AvailabilitySurface BookSurface Book 2
Released20152017
Release Info
  • Introduced: October 7, 2015
  • Pre-ordered: October 7, 2015
  • Released: October 26, 2015
  • Introduced: October 17, 2017
  • Pre-ordered: November 9, 2017
  • Released: November 16, 2017
PricingStarting at 1,499$
  • Surface Book 2 13.5”: Starting at 1,149$
  • Surface Book 2 15”: Starting at 1,999$
Surface Book Price
NEW Microsoft Surface Book 3 - 15" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum
 NEW Microsoft Surface Book 3 - 15" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum
By Microsoft
$1,196.98
See at Amazon
Microsoft Surface Book 2 (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB) - 13.5in (Renewed)
 Microsoft Surface Book 2 (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB) - 13.5in (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$495.00
See at Amazon
NEW Microsoft Surface Book 3 - 13.5 Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum (Renewed)
 NEW Microsoft Surface Book 3 - 13.5 Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$844.98
See at Amazon
Surface Book 2 Price
Microsoft Surface Book 2 13.5"(Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256 GB), silver
 Microsoft Surface Book 2 13.5"(Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256 GB), silver
By Microsoft
$699.99
See at Amazon
Microsoft Surface Book 2 (Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB) - 13.5in (Renewed)
 Microsoft Surface Book 2 (Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB) - 13.5in (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$624.00
See at Amazon
Microsoft Surface Book 2 (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB) - 13.5in (Renewed)
 Microsoft Surface Book 2 (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB) - 13.5in (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$495.00
See at Amazon
DisplaySurface BookSurface Book 2
Size13.5 Inches
Info
  • Display Resolution: 3000 x 2000 (6M Pixels)
  • Display Density: 267 PPI
  • PixelSense™ Display
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Contrast ratio: 1700:1
  • Inking: designed together with Surface Pen
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch
  • Surface Book 2 13.5”
    • Display Resolution: 3000 x 2000 (6M Pixels)
    • Display Density: 267 PPI
  • Surface Book 2 15”
    • Display Resolution: 3240 x 2160 (7M Pixels)
    • Display Density: 260 PPI
  • PixelSense™ Display
  • Aspect ratio: 3:2
  • Contrast ratio: 1600:1
  • Inking: designed together with Surface Pen
  • Touch: 10 points multi-touch
ExteriorSurface BookSurface Book 2
Size Comparison
Dimensions12.3” x 9.14” x 0.51”-0.90” (312 mm x 232 mm x 13 mm-23 mm)
  • Surface Book 2 13.5” (Core i5)
    12.3” x 9.1” x 0.51”-0.90” (312 mm x 232 mm x 13 mm-23 mm).
  • Surface Book 2 13.5” (Core i7)
    12.3” x 9.14” x 0.59”-0.90” (312 mm x 232 mm x 15 mm-23 mm).
  • Surface Book 2 15”
    13.5” x 9.87” x 0.57”-0.90” (343 mm x 251 mm x 15 mm-23 mm).
Weight
  • Tablet Only: 1.6 lbs (726 g)
  • Surface Book: 3.34 lbs (1,515 g)
  • Surface Book with dGPU: 3.48 lbs (1,578 g)
  • Surface Book 2 13.5” (Core i5)
    • Total: 3.38 lbs (1,533 g)
    • Tablet: 1.59 lbs (719 g)
  • Surface Book 2 13.5” (Core i7)
    • Total: 3.62 lbs (1,642 g)
    • Tablet: 1.59 lbs (719 g)
  • Surface Book 2 15”
    • Total: 4.20 lbs (1,905 g)
    • Tablet: 1.80 lbs (817 g)
Colors
Platinum
Keyboard and Trackpad
  • Keyboard:
    • Full-size mechanical backlit keyset with 1.55mm travel.
    • Mechanical friction attaches the Clipboard to the keyboard.
  • Trackpad:
    • Larger size 105 mm x 70 mm, glass.
    • Supports up to Five-finger multitouch gesture.
Ports
  • 2 x Full-size USB 3.0
  • 2 x Surface Connect™
    1 in tablet, 1 in keyboard base, both supports charging and docking.
  • 1 x Mini DisplayPort
  • 1 x Headset jack
  • 1 x Full-size SDXC card reader (UHS-II performance)
  • 2 x Full-size USB 3.1 Gen 1
  • 1 x USB Type-C 3.1 Gen 1
    Supports Power Delivery and DisplayPort.
  • 2 x Surface Connect™
    1 in tablet, 1 in keyboard base, both supports charging and docking.
  • 1 x Headset jack
  • 1 x Full-size SDXC card reader
    UHS-II Performance
Internal SpecsSurface BookSurface Book 2
Processor
  • 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6300U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.40 → 3.00 GHz, 3MB SmartCache, 15W
  • 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6600U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.60 → 3.40 GHz, 4MB SmartCache, 15W
  • 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300U
    2 cores, 4 threads, 2.60 → 3.50 GHz, 3MB SmartCache, 15W
  • 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8350U
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.70 → 3.60 GHz, 6MB SmartCache, 15W
  • 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8650U
    4 cores, 8 threads, 1.90 → 4.20 GHz, 8MB SmartCache, 15W
Integrated Graphics
  • 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6300U
    Intel® HD Graphics 520
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1000 MHz
  • 6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6600U
    Intel® HD Graphics 520
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1050 MHz
  • 7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300U
    Intel® HD Graphics 620
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
  • 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8350U
    Intel® UHD Graphics 620
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1100 MHz
  • 8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8650U
    Intel® UHD Graphics 620
    24 Execution Units, 300 → 1150 MHz
Discrete Graphics
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GPU
    Maxwell Architecture, 1GB GDDR5 128-bit, 954 - 993 MHz, 384 CUDA Cores.
  • Surface Book 2 13.5”
    • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050
      Pascal Architecture, 2GB GDDR5 128-bit, 1354 → 1493 MHz, 640 CUDA Cores.
  • Surface Book 2 15”
    • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060
      Pascal Architecture, 6GB GDDR5 192-bit, 1404 → 1670 MHz, 1280 CUDA Cores.
Memory
8GB 16GB
1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM
Storage
128GB 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD
128 GB 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB
PCIe SSD
ConnectivitySurface BookSurface Book 2
Wi-Fi
  • Wi-Fi 5: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac compatible.
Bluetooth
  • Bluetooth Wireless 4.0 technology
  • Bluetooth Wireless 4.1 technology
  • Surface Book 2 15” Only: Xbox Wireless built-in
BatterySurface BookSurface Book 2
Size
  • Total: 69Wh
    Clipboard: 18Wh
    Base: 51Wh
  • Surface Book 2 13.5” (Core i5)
    Total: 69Wh
    Clipboard: 18Wh
    Base: 51Wh
  • Surface Book 2 13.5” (Core i7)
    Total: 75.3Wh
    Clipboard: 18Wh
    Base: 57.3Wh
  • Surface Book 2 15”
    Total: 90Wh
    Clipboard: 23Wh
    Base: 67Wh
Battery Life
  • Up to 12 hours of video playback
  • Up to 17 hours of video playback
  • Up to 5 hours in tablet mode
Power Supply
  • Surface Book
    36W power supply with USB-A (5W) charging port.
  • Surface Book with dGPU
    65W power supply with USB-A (5W) charging port.
  • Surface Book 2 13.5” (Core i5)
    44W power supply with USB-A (5W) charging port.
  • Surface Book 2 13.5” (Core i7)
    100W power supply with USB-A (5W) charging port.
  • Surface Book 2 15”
    102W power supply with USB-A 7.5W) charging port.
SoftwareSurface BookSurface Book 2
OSWindows 10 ProWindows 10 Pro (Creators Update)
Free upgrade to Windows 11
Built-in AppsMicrosoft Office 365 30-days trial
Camera & AudioSurface BookSurface Book 2
Camera
  • Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing)
  • 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p HD video
  • 8.0MP rear-facing autofocus camera with 1080p HD video
Audio
  • Dual microphones
  • Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™ Premium
  • Dual microphones
  • Front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio™ Premium
  • Support for Windows Sonic for Headphones
  • Support for Dolby® Atmos for Headphones
MiscSurface BookSurface Book 2
InkingSupports Surface Pen
1024 levels of pressure
Magnetic storage
Supports Surface Pen
4096 levels of pressure
Tilt sensing
Best in class latency
Paper feel
0.1mm precision
Sensors
  • Ambient light sensor
  • Proximity sensor
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetometer
Security
  • HW TPM chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
  • HW TPM 2.0 chip for enterprise security
  • Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
In the box
  • Surface Book
  • Surface Pen
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
  • Surface Book 2
  • Power supply
  • Quick Start Guide
  • Safety and warranty documents
WarrantyOne-year limited hardware warranty
MoreSupports Surface Dial
Supports off-screen interaction only.
Supports Surface Dial
Supports both on-screen and off-screen interaction.
Surface Book Price
NEW Microsoft Surface Book 3 - 15" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum
 NEW Microsoft Surface Book 3 - 15" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum
By Microsoft
$1,196.98
See at Amazon
Microsoft Surface Book 2 (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB) - 13.5in (Renewed)
 Microsoft Surface Book 2 (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB) - 13.5in (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$495.00
See at Amazon
NEW Microsoft Surface Book 3 - 13.5 Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum (Renewed)
 NEW Microsoft Surface Book 3 - 13.5 Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) - Platinum (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$844.98
See at Amazon
Surface Book 2 Price
Microsoft Surface Book 2 13.5"(Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256 GB), silver
 Microsoft Surface Book 2 13.5"(Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256 GB), silver
By Microsoft
$699.99
See at Amazon
Microsoft Surface Book 2 (Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB) - 13.5in (Renewed)
 Microsoft Surface Book 2 (Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB) - 13.5in (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$624.00
See at Amazon
Microsoft Surface Book 2 (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB) - 13.5in (Renewed)
 Microsoft Surface Book 2 (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB) - 13.5in (Renewed)
By Microsoft
$495.00
See at Amazon

Popular Comparisons for Surface Book

Here are the most frequently requested comparisons for Surface Book:

Surface BookSurface Pro (5th Gen)VS
Surface Book
vs.
Surface Pro (5th Gen)
Surface BookSurface Laptop GoVS
Surface Book
vs.
Surface Laptop Go
Surface BookSurface Pro 3VS
Surface Book
vs.
Surface Pro 3
Surface BookSurface Pro 6VS
Surface Book
vs.
Surface Pro 6
Surface BookSurface Pro 7VS
Surface Book
vs.
Surface Pro 7
Surface BookSurface Book 3VS
Surface Book
vs.
Surface Book 3

Popular Comparisons for Surface Book 2

Here are the most frequently requested comparisons for Surface Book 2:

Surface Book 2Surface Book 3VS
Surface Book 2
vs.
Surface Book 3
Surface Book 2Surface Laptop StudioVS
Surface Book 2
vs.
Surface Laptop Studio
Surface Book 2Surface Pro (5th Gen)VS
Surface Book 2
vs.
Surface Pro (5th Gen)
Surface Book 2Surface Laptop 5 13.5”VS
Surface Book 2
vs.
Surface Laptop 5 13.5”
Surface Book 2Surface Go 2VS
Surface Book 2
vs.
Surface Go 2
Surface Book 2Surface Pro 8VS
Surface Book 2
vs.
Surface Pro 8

2Surface Book 2 vs Surface Book – Intel Core i5 Processors Comparison

The new Surface Book 2 now only has one configuration that comes with Intel Core i5 and Microsoft still uses the 7-Gen chip for that configuration while Intel Core i7 using 8-Gen chip. However, it still a better upgrade for the 6-Gen chip available in the original Book.

Processor6th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-6300U7th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-7300U
Intel Core i57th Gen Intel® Core™ i5
Launch DateQ3'2015Q1'2017
Base Frequency2.40 GHz2.60 GHz
Max Turbo Frequency3.00 GHz3.50 GHz
TDP15 watt
Level 1 Cache128 KB
Level 2 Cache512 KB
Level 3 Cache3 MB SmartCache
# of Cores2
# of Threads4
Bus Speed4 GT/s OPI
Max Memory Support32 GB
Max Memory Bandwidth34.1 GB/s
GEEKBENCH 4
Single-Core Score3,3743,967
Multi-Core Score6,4317,736

3Surface Book 2 vs Surface Book – Intel Core i7 Processors Comparison

The 8-Gen Intel Core i7 inside the new Surface Book 2 is a significant performance boost over the 6-Gen Intel Core i7 in the original Surface Book. It now has real 4 cores and 8 threads that significantly improve performance for professional-grade applications and high-end gaming titles.

Processor6th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-6600U8th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-8650U
Intel Core i78th Gen Intel® Core™ i7
Launch DateQ3'2015Q3'2017
Base Frequency2.60 GHz1.90 GHz
Max Turbo Frequency3.40 GHz4.20 GHz
TDP15 watt
Level 1 Cache128 KB
Level 2 Cache512 KB
Level 3 Cache4 MB SmartCache8 MB SmartCache
# of Cores24
# of Threads48
Bus Speed4 GT/s OPI
Max Memory Support32 GB
Max Memory Bandwidth34.1 GB/s
GEEKBENCH 4
Single-Core Score3,6724,956
Multi-Core Score7,14714,377

4Surface Book 2 vs Surface Book – Integrated Graphics Comparison

As most Surface Book models are coming with discrete graphics, in terms of processors selection Microsoft didn’t focus much on integrated graphics selection. All models are all using general Intel HD graphics instead of Intel Iris or Iris Plus graphics found on Apple MacBook Pro.

Processor6th Gen Intel® Core™
i5-6300U/i7-6600U		7th Gen Intel® Core™
i5-7300U		8th Gen Intel® Core™
i7-8650U
Intel Core i57th Gen Intel® Core™ i58th Gen Intel® Core™ i7
GraphicsIntel® HD Graphics 520Intel® HD Graphics 620Intel® UHD Graphics 620
Base Frequency300 MHz300 MHz300 MHz
Max Dynamic Frequencyi5-6300U
1.00 GHz

i7-6600U
1.05 GHz		1.10 GHz1.15 GHz
Graphics Max Memory32 GB
Graphics 4K SupportYes, at 60Hz
Graphics DirectX12
Graphics OpenGL4.4
# Display Supported3
Graphics Technologies
Quick Sync Video Clear Video HD Technology Clear Video Technology InTru™ 3D Technology
Quick Sync Video Clear Video HD Technology Clear Video Technology InTru™ 3D Technology
Quick Sync Video Clear Video HD Technology Clear Video Technology InTru™ 3D Technology

5Surface Book 2 vs Surface Book – Discrete Graphics Comparison

The new Surface Book 2 finally comes with the latest and VR-Ready discrete graphics GeForce GTX 10 Series. With the GeForce GTX 1060, The new Surface Book 2 is now able to play most high-end games at 1080p at 60 fps. It also makes Surface Book 2 is the first Surface PC that able to use Windows Mixed Reality Ulta.

GPUGFEFORCE GPUGEFORCE GTX 965MGEFORCE GTX 1050GEFORCE GTX 1060
NVIDIA Geforce GPUNVIDIA Geforce GPUNVIDIA Geforce GPUNVIDIA Geforce GPU
ArchitectureMaxwellPascal
Memory Size1 GB GDDR52 GB GDDR52 GB GDDR56 GB GDDR5
GPU Engine Specs
NVIDIA CUDA® Cores38410246401280
Base Clock (MHz)954 MHz935 MHz1354 MHz1506 MHz
Boost Clock (MHz)993 MHz1150 MHz1455 MHz1708 MHz
Memory Specs
Memory Speed5012 MHz5000 MHz7000 MHz8000 MHz
Memory Interface Width64-bit128-bit128-bit192-bit
Memory Bandwidth (GB/sec)40 GB/s80 GB/s112 GB/s192 GB/s
Technology Support
Technologies
PhysX CUDA GeForce Experience
Optimus™ Support
G-SYNC -Ready GameStream -Ready Optimus™ Support BatteryBoost™ SLI® Ready
G-SYNC -Ready GameStream -Ready Simultaneous Multi-Projection VR Ready Ansel SLI® Ready Vulkan API
G-SYNC -Ready GameStream -Ready Simultaneous Multi-Projection VR Ready Ansel SLI® Ready Vulkan API
NVIDIA GPU Boost2.03.0
Microsoft DirectX12 API with feature level 11_012 API with feature level 12_1
OpenGL4.5
Bus SupportPCIe 3.0

Conclusion

The new Surface Book 2 is a big jump in performance compared to the original Surface Book. If you can manage a budget to afford the Surface Book 2, that’s is no doubt that it is a great choice. However, if you are tight on the budget, the original Surface Book is still the best laptop for its price and features.